Decorative clip assembly

ABSTRACT

Decorative clip assemblies attachable to an item of wear, e.g. a boot, are disclosed. The decorative clip assembly includes a bent portion having a first free end portion and a second end portion for draping the clip assembly onto an edge of the item of wear; a mounting portion connected to the second end portion for selectively mounting a first decorative embellishment; and a ring portion connected adjacent to the mounting portion for selectively receiving and carrying a second decorative embellishment. The ring portion includes a spring loaded open end section or a hinged gate ring. The decorative clip assembly may be made of spring wire, spring steel, or rigid plastic or it may be made from a single sheet of spring steel wherein the clip assembly is an integral one piece assembly. Methods for forming the decorative clip assembly are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/518,764, filed May 11, 2011, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a decorative clip assembly attachable to anitem of wear, such as, for example, a boot, e.g. a Western style cowboyboot. The decorative clip assembly optionally includes a decorativeembellishment affixed to a mounting portion of the clip assembly and/orone or more hanging decorative embellishments, such as, for example, acluster of charms which hang down alongside the item of wear when thedecorative clip assembly is secured to an edge of the item. Thedecorative clip assembly comprises a ring portion having a spring loadedopen end or a gate ring adjacent to the mounting portion for slideablyreceiving and carrying the hanging decorative embellishments.

2. Description of Related Art

It is known to add decorative features to an item of footwear byattaching a charm to a fixed location on the outside of the footwear.Such an attachment may be permanently affixed to the footwear or it maybe detachable.

Examples of ornamental articles for a shoe are disclosed in thefollowing patents. Mathews, U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,502 filed Mar. 18, 1996illustrate ornaments which snap to a shoe. Solo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,821filed Jun. 21, 1995 discloses an article that rests on and attaches tothe top of the shoe. Rowland, U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,151 B1 filed Sep. 29,2000 discloses a shoe ornamentation system comprising a detachablelocking clip that has a shoe ornament affixed to it and a bar, thecenter of which the locking clip attaches, and the ends of the bar arefastened to the shoe in the shoe manufacturing process.

Further examples of ornaments for footwear are disclosed in thefollowing documents: White, U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0260153published on Nov. 23, 2006 discloses a decorative composite convertibleornamental memory triggering device that is slideablyattachable/detachable to a shoelace on a shoe or boot. As shown in FIG.2, the device includes a primary loop 1 connected to an attachment 2which is connected to any suitable expressive jewelry piece 3. Thedevice is slideably attachable/detachable to a single shoelace or asingle Velcro-style fastener on a shoe or boot as shown in FIGS. 3 and4; or alternatively, the loop may be an openable/closeable loop as shownin FIG. 6, which may be attached/detached from a tied shoelace as shownin FIGS. 7 and 8.

Fromm, U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0271348 A1 published Nov. 6, 2008discloses a shoe snap for attaching embellishments to shoes. The shoesnap 20 includes a first section 30 which is coupled to the shoe 10 anda cooperating second section 40 which may be fitted with an ornamentalobject and which is received by the first section 30.

Nordstrom-Wehner, U.S. Patent Publication 2009/0300948 A1 discloses afootwear adornment system. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the adornment 20includes a clip 50 which, in turn, includes a legged structure 40 and amounting 30. A decorative accessory 22 is attached to mounting 30 withfastener 24.

Ferrante, et al., U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0058619 published on Mar.11, 2010 discloses a removably attachable charm that may optionally beattached to the strap of a sandal. FIGS. 5A-5C and 6A-6C show differenttypes of connectors for removably connecting a charm to the strap of asandal.

None of these prior art patent documents discloses a decorative clipassembly for an item of wear that is designed to be secured around anedge or rim of an item of wear, such as, for example, a boot andcomprising a mounting portion for optionally supporting a decorativeembellishment and a ring portion adjacent to the mounting portion andcomprising a spring loaded open end or a gate ring for slideablyreceiving the hanging decorative embellishments, for example, a clusterof charms or elongated tassel-like ornaments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides such a unique decorative clip assembly. Adecorative clip assembly is securely positioned to a rim or an outeredge of an item of wear, such as, for example the top of a boot, e.g. aWestern style cowboy boot. In particular, an aspect of the invention isto provide a decorative clip assembly, comprising a bent portion havinga first free-end portion and a second end portion for positioning andattaching the decorative clip assembly around an edge of an item ofwear; a mounting portion connected to the second end portion forselectively mounting a first decorative embellishment; and a ringportion connected adjacent to the mounting portion for selectivelyreceiving and carrying a second decorative embellishment.

The ring portion comprises a spring loaded open end or a gate ringadjacent to the mounting portion for slideably receiving one or moresecond decorative embellishments, e.g. charms or a tassel-like ornament.The decorative clip assembly may be manufactured from a spring wirewhich provides a spring pressure action or it may be manufactured from aflat rolled piece of spring steel which provides a spring pressureaction. Both the spring wire and the flat rolled piece of spring steelare bent into the desired shape for forming the decorative clipassembly.

The first decorative embellishment may take one of several forms. Forexample, the first decorative embellishment may contain a bezel with around glass stone, a rhinestone or a turquoise stone, which may be gluedor welded to the mounting portion, or the first decorative embellishmentmay be a metal disk with an etched or tooling design. In someembodiments, the first decorative embellishment may have the sameconfiguration as the mounting portion and this configuration may becircular, triangular, rectangular, or other configurations.

If the decorative clip assembly is made of spring wire, then the ringportion preferably includes a hinged gate ring. The hinged gate ring ispushed inwardly relative to the ring portion thereby allowing the seconddecorative embellishments to be slideably received on the ring portionand which hinged gate ring once released springs back to its originalposition to close the ring portion for securing and carrying the seconddecorative embellishments.

If the decorative clip assembly is made of spring steel, then the ringportion preferably includes a spring loaded open end. The spring loadedopen end is pushed away from the mounting portion to open the ringportion thereby allowing the second decorative embellishment to beslideably received on the ring portion and which spring loaded open endsection once released returns to its original position in order tosecure and carry the decorative embellishment.

The second decorative embellishment may be a hanging accessory and maybe designed to aesthetically complement and/or match the firstdecorative embellishment mounted to the mounting portion of thedecorative clip assembly.

A further aspect of the invention provides a method for forming adecorative clip assembly. The steps include: (a) bending a straightpiece of spring wire in a first plane to form a first free end portion;(b) bending the spring wire of step (a) into a second plane that isperpendicular to the first plane to form a bent portion which is locatedbetween the first free end portion and the second end portion; (c)fixedly attaching the second end portion of step (b) to a mountingportion; and (d) fixedly attaching a ring portion to the mountingportion of step (c). Additional steps optionally include attaching afirst decorative embellishment to the mounting portion, and/or insertinga second decorative embellishment onto the ring portion so that thesecond decorative embellishment hangs freely from the ring portion.

A still further aspect of the invention is to provide a method forforming a decorative clip assembly, the steps comprising: (a) using asingle flat sheet metal made of spring steel and cutting the flat sheetmetal into a desired pattern wherein the decorative clip assemblycomprises a first free end portion, a second end portion connected tothe first free end portion, a mounting portion connected to the secondend portion, and a ring portion connected to the mounting portion; (b)bending the first free end portion in a first plane; and (c) bending thesecond end portion along with the mounting portion and the ring portionin a second plane perpendicular to the first plane to form a bentportion which is located between the first free end portion and thesecond end portion. Additional steps after forming the decorative clipassembly may include tumbling, heat treating give a spring action effectto the decorative clip assembly, and burnishing to smooth the roughedges. A first decorative embellishment may be attached to the mountingportion, and/or a second decorative embellishment may be inserted ontothe ring portion.

These and other aspects of the invention will be better appreciated andunderstood when the following description is read in light of theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a decorative clip assembly of afirst embodiment of the invention attached to a top edge of a boot.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a decorative clip assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the decorative clip assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the decorative clip assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an unformed decorative clip assembly of asecond embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a formed decorative clip assemblyof FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the decorative clip assembly of FIG. 6 andincludes a first decorative embellishment.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of the decorative clip assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the decorative clip assembly of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a decorative clip assembly for decorating anitem of wear. FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate a first embodiment of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 1, decorative clip assembly 10 fits securelyand drapes over the top edge T or rim of a boot B.

Decorative clip assembly 10 comprises a bent portion 12 having a firstfree end portion 14 a (FIG. 4) and a second end portion 14 b connectedto bent portion 12 and opposite to the first free end portion 14 a; amounting portion 16 connected to the second end portion 14 b; and a ringportion 18 connected to mounting portion 16. As shown in FIG. 1, bentportion 12 attaches the decorative clip assembly 10 over the top T ofboot B and even though not shown in FIG. 1, the first free end portion14 a extends down inside boot B with bent portion 12, mounting portion16, and ring portion 18 being visible. Bent portion 12, first free endportion 14 a, and second end portion 14 b are made from a continuouspiece of spring wire that may first be bent along its body in a firstplane to form first free end portion 14 a and then bent in a secondplane perpendicular to the first plane to form bent portion 12 andsecond end portion 14 b.

Mounting portion 16 is fixedly attached to the free ends 20, 22 (FIG. 4)of the second end portion 14 b. This can be done via a suitable process,such as a welding or soldering process. With particular reference toFIGS. 1 and 4, mounting portion 16 has a circular configuration and afront flat support surface 24 for supporting a first decorativeembellishment 26. First decorative embellishment 26 is concentricrelative to mounting portion 16 and may comprise a precious stone orgem, such as, for example, opal, diamond, turquoise, and tanzanite. Orfirst decorative embellishment 26 may comprise a metal disk containingan etched or tooling design. Even though mounting portion 16 has acircular configuration, this configuration may take another form, suchas, for example, a rectangle, an oval, or a triangle, and the firstdecorative embellishment may have a configuration coinciding with theconfiguration of mounting portion 16. Even though mounting portion 16includes decorative embellishment 26, the front flat support surface 24may instead contain a logo and/or a trademark.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 and as disclosed herein above, decorativeclip assembly 10 further comprises ring portion 18. Ring portion 18 isfixedly attached to a lower portion 28 (FIG. 3) of mounting portion 16via a suitable process, such as, for example, a welding process or asoldering process. Ring portion 18 comprises a hinged gate ring 30 whichis spring loaded and which gate ring 30 is pushed inwardly so that ringportion 18 can slideably receive a second decorative embellishment whichmay be in the form of an elongated ornament 32 which is carried by aring 34. Gate ring 30 is spring loaded so that it returns to its initialposition to close ring portion 18 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 so as tosecurely carry the elongated ornament 32. Instead of elongated ornament32, one or more other kinds of freely hanging decorative embellishmentsmay be carried by ring portion 18. These hanging decorativeembellishments may take the form of a cluster of charms that may becarried by a single ring, which ring is slid onto ring portion 18 foraesthetically embellishing decorative ring assembly 10.

Mounting portion 16 and ring portion 18 may be made of the samematerial, which may be metal. In some instances, this metal may be thesame material as that of the wire spring used for bent portion 12, firstfree end portion 14 a, and second end portion 14 b of decorative clipassembly 10. The first free end portion 14 a and the second end portion14 b of bent portion 12 are spaced apart a sufficient distance so thatdecorative clip assembly 10 can be positioned around an edge of an itemof wear, where after portions 14 a and 14 b can be pressed together soas to secure decorative clip assembly 10 to the item of wear.

FIGS. 5-9 illustrate a further embodiment of a decorative clip assembly40 of the invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 6-9, decorative clipassembly 40 comprises a bent portion 42 having a first free end portion44 a (FIG. 8) and a second end portion 44 b, a mounting portion 46connected to second end portion 44 b, and a ring portion 48 connected tomounting portion 46. Decorative clip assembly 40 may be used toembellish the boot B of FIG. 1. Similar to decorative clip assembly 10of FIGS. 1-4, bent portion 42 of decorative clip assembly 40 willcontact the top edge T of boot B with the first free end portion 44 aextending down inside boot B and bent portion 42, second end portion 44b, mounting portion 46, and ring portion 48 being visible outside bootB.

As shown in FIG. 5, decorative clip assembly 40 is made from a flatsingle sheet metal, which metal preferably is spring steel. The patternof decorative clip assembly 40 of FIG. 5 can be made via a laser cuttingprocess wherein the first free end portion 44 a is bent in a first planeand the second end portion 44 b along with mounting portion 46 and ringportion 48 is bent in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane toform bent portion 42. As is apparent, decorative clip assembly 40 is onecontinuous integral piece instead of several separate pieces that areconnected together to form decorative clip assembly 10 of FIGS. 1-4.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 6-8, mounting portion 46 has a circularconfiguration and a front flat support surface 46 a for optionallysupporting a first decorative embellishment 50 (FIG. 7) in a mannersimilar to that disclosed herein above with regard to decorative clipassembly 10. First decorative embellishment 50 is a metal disk, isconcentric to mounting portion 46, and contains a tooling design. Inother embodiments, the first decorative embellishment which can befixedly attached to mounting portion 46, may be a metal disk; maycomprise a precious stone or gem, such as, for example, opal, diamond,turquoise, or tanzanite; and/or may comprise an etched design.

Even though mounting portion 46 has a circular configuration, thisconfiguration may take another form, such as, for example, a rectangle,an oval, or a triangle, and the first decorative embellishment maycoincide with this configuration for mounting portion 46. Instead of thedecorative embellishment 50 of FIG. 7, front flat support surface 46 aof mounting portion 46 may contain a logo and/or a trademark. Or frontflat support surface 46 a may contain a precious stone or gem, such as,for example, opal, diamond, turquoise, or tanzanite; or it may comprisean etched design.

Referring again to FIGS. 5-9, decorative clip assembly 40 furthercomprises ring portion 48. Ring portion 48 is an integral part ofmounting portion 46. Ring portion 48 is located adjacent to mountingportion 46 and comprises a spring loaded open end 52. Spring loaded openend 52 is slightly spaced away and separated from mounting portion 46.In operation, spring loaded open end 52 is pushed in a direction awayfrom mounting portion 46 so that a second decorative embellishment maybe slideably received and carried by ring portion 48. Even though notshown in FIGS. 5-9, this second decorative embellishment may be similarto elongated ornament 32 of FIGS. 1-4. Spring loaded open end 52 of ringportion 48 is constructed to return to its original position adjacent tobut slightly separated away from mounting portion 46 so as to securelycarry the second decorative embellishment. The second decorativeembellishment may comprise one or more freely hanging decorativeembellishments. These freely hanging decorative embellishments may takethe form of a cluster of charms that may be carried by a single ringwhich, in turn, is slid onto ring portion 48 for aestheticallyembellishing decorative ring assembly 40.

When decorative clip assembly 40 is formed into the form of FIGS. 6-9,the first free end portion 44 a and the second end portion 44 b arespaced apart a sufficient distance so that these portions 44 a and 44 bcan be positioned around an edge of an item of wear; where after firstfree end portion 44 a and second end portion 44 b may be pressedtogether so that decorative clip assembly 40 is securely attached to theitem of wear.

The first decorative embellishment for clip assemblies 10 and 40 mayinclude a bezel portion for securing decorative ornaments, such as, forexample, diamonds, cabochons, glass beads, precious stones and gems,such as, for example, opal, diamond, turquoise and tanzanite. If thebezel portion is mounted on mounting portion 16, 46 of clip assembly 10,40 respectively, then this bezel portion may have a circularconfiguration or it may take another form, such as, for example, arectangle, an oval, and a triangle. Also, as disclosed herein above,front flat support surface 24, 46 a of mounting portion 16, 46,respectively may comprise a logo and/or a trademark.

The second decorative embellishment for clip assembly 40 may include anyvariety of ornaments, such as a cluster of charms or the elongatedornament 32 of FIGS. 1-4.

A method for forming decorative clip assembly 10 includes the steps of:(a) bending a straight piece of spring wire in a first plane to form afirst free end portion 14 a; (b) bending the spring wire of step (a)into a second plane that is perpendicular to the first plane to formbent portion 12 and the second end portion 14 b for draping clip 10 overthe top of an item of wear, such as boot B in FIG. 1; (c) fixedlyattaching the second end portion 14 b of step (b) to mounting portion16; (d) and fixedly attaching ring portion 18 including gate ring 30 tomounting portion 16 of step (c). Additional steps optionally includeattaching a first decorative embellishment 26 to mounting portion 16and/or inserting a second decorative embellishment 32 through gate ring30 so that the second decorative embellishment 32 is securely carried byand freely hangs from ring portion 18.

A method for forming decorative clip assembly 40 includes the steps of:(a) using a single flat sheet metal made of spring steel and cutting theflat sheet metal into a pattern or configuration representing adecorative clip assembly similar to that of FIG. 5 wherein decorativeclip assembly 40 comprises a first free end portion 44 a, a second endportion 44 b, a mounting portion 46 connected to the second end portion44 b; and a ring portion 48 connected to the mounting portion 46; (b)bending the first free end portion 44 a in a first plane; and (c)bending the second end portion 44 b along with mounting portion 46 andring portion 48 in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane toform bent portion 42 which is now located between the first free endportion 44 a and the second end portion 44 b. Additional stepsoptionally include attaching a first decorative embellishment tomounting portion 46 and/or inserting a second decorative embellishmentonto ring portion 48 so that the second decorative embellishment issecurely carried by and freely hangs from ring portion 48. Additionalsteps may also include tumbling, heat treating the form of FIGS. 6-9 soas to give a spring effect to the decorative clip assembly 40, andburnishing the form to remove rough edges.

The mounting portion 16, 46 of decorative clip assembly 10, 40respectively may also be comprised of a precious metal, such as, forexample, gold, silver, or bronze or a combination thereof.

Even though the invention has been described with respect to adecorative clip assembly for decorating a boot by being attached to thetop of a boot, it is to be understood that decorative clip assembly 10,40 may be attached to any item of wear, such as, for example, a shoe, asandal, a purse, a belt, an edge of a pocket, a shirt, and a saddle.Additionally, the ring portion 18, 48 of decorative clip assembly 10,40, respectively may be used to carry other items, such as, for example,keys.

While the present invention has been described in connection withpreferred embodiments of the figures, it is to be understood that othersimilar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may bemade to the described embodiment for performing the same function of thepresent invention without deviating there from. Accordingly, it isintended by the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications as come within the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A decorative clip assembly, comprising: a bent portion having a firstfree end portion and a second end portion for attaching the decorativeclip assembly around an edge of an item of wear; a mounting portionconnected to the second end portion and constructed to selectively mounta first decorative embellishment thereon; and a ring portion connectedto and located adjacent to the mounting portion and constructed toselectively receive and secure a second decorative embellishment.
 2. Thedecorative clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the decorative clipassembly is comprised of a material selected from the group consistingof rigid plastic and metal.
 3. The decorative clip assembly of claim 2,wherein the material is metal.
 4. The decorative clip assembly of claim3, wherein the material is metal and wherein the metal includes springsteel.
 5. The decorative clip assembly of claim 3, wherein the metal isa precious metal selected from the group consisting of gold, silver,bronze and a combination thereof.
 6. The decorative clip assembly ofclaim 1, wherein at least the bent portion and the ring portion are madeof spring wire.
 7. The decorative clip assembly of claim 1, wherein thering portion is made of spring steel and comprises a spring loaded openend section spaced away from the mounting portion.
 8. The decorativeclip assembly of claim 1, wherein the ring portion comprises a springloaded open end section.
 9. The decorative clip assembly of claim 1,wherein the ring portion comprises a hinged gate ring.
 10. Thedecorative clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the decorative clipassembly is made from a flat rolled metal sheet.
 11. The decorative clipassembly of claim 1, wherein the bent portion, the first free endportion, the second end portion, the mounting portion and the ringportion are one integral piece and made from a single metal sheet. 12.The decorative clip assembly of claim 11, wherein the single metal sheetis comprised of spring steel.
 13. The decorative clip assembly of claim1, wherein the first decorative embellishment is fixedly secured to themounting portion.
 14. The decorative clip assembly of claim 1, whereinthe second decorative embellishment comprises at least one hangingornament.
 15. A method for forming a decorative clip assembly for anitem of wear, comprising the steps of: (a) bending a straight piece of afirst spring wire in a first plane to form a first free end portion; (b)bending the first spring wire of step (a) into a second plane that isperpendicular to the first plane to form a bent portion including asecond end portion for draping the decorative clip assembly over the topof an item of wear; (c) fixedly attaching the second end portion of step(b) to a mounting portion; and (d) fixedly attaching a ring portionincluding a gate ring to the mounting portion of step (c).
 16. Themethod of claim 15, the steps further comprising: (e) optionallyattaching a first decorative embellishment to the mounting portion, andoptionally inserting a second decorative embellishment onto the ringportion of the decorative clip assembly.
 17. A method for forming adecorative clip assembly for an item of wear, comprising the steps of:(a) using a single flat sheet metal made of spring steel and cutting theflat sheet metal into a pattern representing a decorative clip assemblyand comprising a first free end portion, a second end portion connectedto the first free end portion, a mounting portion connected to thesecond end portion, and a ring portion connected to the mountingportion; (b) bending the first free end portion in a first plane; and(c) bending the second end portion along with the mounting portion andthe ring portion in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane toform a bent portion between the first free end portion and the secondend portion.
 18. The method of claim 17, the steps further comprising:providing the ring portion with a spring loaded open end which isseparated from the mounting portion of the decorative clip assembly. 19.The method of claim 17, the steps further comprising: (e) optionallyattaching a first decorative embellishment to the mounting portion, andoptionally inserting a second decorative embellishment onto the ringportion of the decorative clip assembly.